June 20, 2008

What’s your vacation destination?

Do people take road trips for family vacations anymore? We did that many times when I was young. We’d drive all day, stopping at cheesy roadside attractions and theme parks, eating at small town diners and enjoying the surprises we found along the way. The one surprise I remember as being not-so-pleasant was the overnight accomodations we sometimes had to endure. After passing neon “No Vacancy” signs for an hour or so we’d be ready to settle for whatever we could get. Sometimes we got lucky. I remember a travel court with an icy-cold, springe-fed swimming pool - a great relief after hours squeezed between siblings in the back seat of the old Buick with no air conditioning - and bear-cubs cavorting in the parking lot at another place (great fun when you’re a kid!) Other times we had lumpy rollaway beds with broken springs and shower stalls with green fuzz. I still like spontaneous adventures, but when I’ve traveled as an adult I’ve always pre-planned my accomodations to avoid the pitfalls of “finding a place when we get there.” Give me a comfortable bed, a clean bathroom and fresh, hot coffee within moments of waking and I’m a happy camper. Oh, the camping trips - no, never mind. You don’t want to know! What you need to know, instead, is how to find the lodgings that suit your personal style. Whether you’re wanting the pampered luxury of Destin resorts or the ultra-privacy of Kissimmee vacation homes, you can find just what you want at Rentalo.com, an award-winning travel lodging directory used by 5.2 million travelers to find vacation rentals, hotels & bed and breakfasts. One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to travel planning, but one site does because Rentalo.com can hook you up with whatever type of accomodations you want, within prices ranges to suit every budget. Whether you’re looking for Puerto Vallarta hotels for a scuba diving excursion or affordable accomodations near the kids favorite theme park, you’ll find it all on one site. If you’re coming to my place it’s free and you’ll settle for what you get. If you’re going anyplace else, better check out Rentalo.com first.

[tags]travel accomodations, vacation rentals[/tags]

Hidden Expedition: Amazon - new hidden object game

I knew before I donwloaded the demo that I would be buying Hidden Expedition: Amazon ™. The previous incarnations of the Hidden Expedition series are that good. Hidden Expedition: Amazon did not disappoint. I was up playing until two this morning and I’m a responsible working gal who doesn’t do that when I know clients will be waiting in the morning. Bah! Who needs work when there are great games to be played?

As anticipated, the artwork for Hidden Expedition: Amazon is stunning, having the quality of fine paintings. The placement of hidden objects is devious, with some worked into the scenery with such subtlety that you don’t realize you’re seeing them when you’re staring right at them. The player’s mission is find a professor who has gone missing while searching for the legendery Beetle Temple in the Amazonian rainforest. You’ll find bits of a map and other clues as you progress along your way. Some of the items you’ll find will go into your inventory for use in later searches - for instance, a key in inventory will be needed to unlock a drawer containing a hidden object.

The level of challenge is high, but Hidden Expedition: Amazon employs fair play principals. There’s no trickery. Hidden objects are well-defined, but finding some of them may have you pulling your hair out. Each time you find five beetles you’ll be rewarded with a hint. Try to collect them from each screen because you’re likely to need as many of them as you can stockpile.

The mini-games are not mere filler between hidden object searches. Each is an intricately woven puzzle. These are real stumpers and you’ll feel a sense of victory when you finally solve each one. Some of the objects you’ve found on previous searches will be needed in order to solve these logic puzzles. There’s a Hidden Expedition: Amazon Strategy Guide available as a separate download those who need some help. I haven’t downloaded it yet, but probably will. I’m reasonably intelligent but lack the ability to make the intuitive leaps that are sometimes needed to crack these brain-benders.

Hidden Expedition: Amazon ™ is an exclusive from Big Fish Games Studios. You might as well go ahead and purchase the full version instead of bothering with the free demo. If you’re a fan of tough hidden object games, you really need the full version. Purchase price is $19.99, but, as with all Big Fish Games, you’ll pay as little as $6.99 if you’re a Game Club member.

The previous Hidden Expedition games are also available as free one-hour demos or to purchase from Big Fish:

You can see all of my hidden object game reviews in the games category for skeet’s stuff. Each review provides my observations on the game plus a link you can use to get a free download so you can check it out for yourself. Enjoy!

[tags]Big Fish Games, game reviews, Hidden Expedition: Amazon, hidden object games[/tags]

June 19, 2008

Four Foods on Friday #34

Gather round, foodaholics. It’s time to play with our food again for Four Foods on Friday. Val has posted four questions on her blog. If you’d like to particiapate, write a post on your own blog answering the questions. Put a link to your post in the comments below Val’s post (linked above.) She’ll write nice things about all of us, discuss our answers and give each of us a little linky love when she does her round-up post. Here are this week’s questions:

1. What is one food that is grown, produced or made near where you live.

Most of the produce that is grown here can grow year-round, so we have plentiful supplies of fruits and vegetables. I try to do as much of my shopping as possible here on my own Waianae Coast and to buy Waianae products whenever I can. There are quite a few farms out here in the country, so I can get fresh-fresh stuff that’s never seen a shipping contianer. I’m looking forward to a farmers’ market that will be held this Saturday, and to a new line of organic Waianae produce that will begin appearing at my local market tomorrow.

Hm, I’ve forgotten. What was the quesitons? Oh, yeah - papayas!

2. What is one food from another location that you haven’t had anything like anywhere else.

I’ve mentioned it before but it’s what always comes to mind when I think of stuff I can’t get here, so - New Orleans French bread. It’s not like French bread from any other place and I really miss it!

3. What is your favorite food from somewhere else?

Same as above - and the po boys made on New Orleans French bread. I should organize my expenses with budgeting software and start saving for a trip back to my roots so I can have me a good old roast beef po boy.

4. Share a family, ethnic or international recipe.

Kalbi Ribs

This is a really popular entree on the plate lunches we buy at drive-ins (which you can’t drive into anymore, but they’re still called that.) It’s a local version of Korean barbecue beef short ribs. The ribs are a peculiar cut, but you can get your butcher to do it for you. Ask for a flanken, but across the bone into thin cuts, about a quarter of an inch thick. Our grocery stores carry them already cut this way. If there’s an Asian market near you, try there. I made up my own recipe for Kalbi Ribs based on what I thought I was tasting in them and have used it for several years. For purposes of FFoF I thought I should look up an “official” recipe. Turns out all of them are different from mine, but similar. The one below is from RecipeZaar, which has a fabulous collection of recipes (you probably already know that.)

2-3 lbs short rib of beef
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
3 inches piece fresh ginger, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients and marinate ribs for 4 hours.
2. Broil or barbecue to desired degree of doneness. Most of us over here cook them until there’s a slight char on them but they’re still a little pink inside.

I’ve never put sugar in mine. I put sesame seeds in the marinade if I’m sharing the meal, but leave them out if it’s just me (seeds are tough on my ailing tummy.) Some of the recipes I found online called for a little mirin (sweetened Japanese rice wine) in the marinade. I’ve never tried that, but will next time. Sugar, though? Meh! I don’t think so!

[tags]food, kalbi ribs, kalbi ribs recipe, meme[/tags]

My “other” blogs

Y’all know I have five blogs, right? Oh, wait! How could you know? I give all my attention to stuff and have never done anything with the other four blogs. I had good intentions when I started each of them. Stuff is all about my cluttered life, but was getting very cluttered itself with so many posts on so many topics, so I thought it would be wise to break out some of my interests and put them on blogs of their very own. The problem is that my life is so cluttered that I’ve been too disorganized to get the other blogs up and running. In keeping with my recent dedication to actually doing something about my messy life, I think it’s time for me to pour a little TLC on my niche blogs so they can be intorduced to the world. I’m starting with the most fun part of setting up a blog - shopping for templates. I think I’ve already found some wordpress templates that are going to suit me nicely. I really like this one:

It’s the Smooth Deal theme from TOPWPTHEMES and I love the way it’s organized. I’m partial to three-column themes, so I’ve only looked at that categroy on the site so far.
Don’t you love the way the title for each posts tabs out to the left, making sharp, clear delineations between posts? The sidebar columns are all set to keep my stuff orgainzed and, of course, it’s widget ready (an absolute must for a techno-doofus like me.) I don’t do AdSense, but there are themes that are Adsense Ready for those of you who do. There are currently 146 WordPress themes at TopWPThemes.com, with more being added all the time, so whatever you need for your blog is going to be there. Oh, did I forget to mention the best part? They’re free! Whether you’re starting a new blog or giving your old one a face lift, this is the place to start when you’re ready for new WordPress templates. I’ve already bookmarked TopWPThemes to my blogging tools folder. Once you see what they’ve got, you will, too.

[tags]blog templates, free blog templates, free WordPress templates, WordPress templates, WordPress themes[/tags]

Laura Williams Musings

Y’all know I love contest and games. Some of you are addicted, too. I know, because you show up here on my blog every Tuesday. I think some of you must have found me through Laura Williams’ Musings. For the rest of you, here’s the scoop: Laura posts a list daily of all of the best blog contests on the web. If you’ve ever wondered why I have her badge over there on my sidebar, it’s because she sends me Tuesday Teaser players every week. You can subscribe to Laura’s feed or have each of her posts sent to you via email, guaranteeing that you don’t miss any contest opportunities.

Laura and I share another interest in common. We’re both booklovers, and Laura has dedicated a lot of space on her to blog to thorough and informative book reviews. She must have friends in the publishing industry, because she frequently has books to give away. The current giveaway is With Endless Sight, by Allison Pittman. The deadline to enter is today, so follow the link and leave Laura a comment if you’d like to be entered.

Despite having one of the busiest blogs around, blogging is not Laura’s first priority. She’s a Christian homeschooling mom to seven kids, and you won’t have to read many of her personal blog entries to know that her family comes before blogging and other pursuits. They’re country folks and the kids get much of their learning outside the classroom. They garden and keep chickens, with each child having responsibilities appropriate to their age and abilities. I’m not sure where she finds the time, but Laura is also a hobbyist and manages to find time for scrapbooking, sewing and crafting projects. I’m pretty sure there’s never a dull moment around Laura’s house. I know there’s always something fun and interesting going on at her blog. You should go visit, and tell her skeet sent you. She likes company and always has the welcome mat out.

[tags]blogs, Laura Williams’ Musings[/tags]

June 18, 2008

Oh, the irony!

A couple of weeks ago, in one of my progress reports on de-cluttering my home, I showed you my re-organized hall closet. I included this phrase: “Next time I have a large burn or am bleeding profusely I’ll peek in there and know that I have enough wound dressings to last a week.” As it turns out, I couldn’t peek in there while I was bleeding profusely because I lacked the foresight to do it at home. I was inspecting a vacant house, with no supplies on hand at all. I keep a first aid kit in my car, but wouldn’t you know it - it was gone just when I needed it. I must have left it out of the car the last time I needed a bandaid or an antiseptic wipe, and that was so long ago that I can’t even remember where it was or what I needed the kit for. I scrounged around in the car and came up with a roll of scotch tape and some kleenex and improvised a bandage. The one you see here is the third one - the first two were soaked with blood pretty quickly. The third one stayed on long enough for me to get home, clean the wound properly and put a real bandage on it. I stopped at Walmart on the way home and they had first aid kits on sale, on a special display just inside the front door. Now I’m well equipped again for the next time I give a little too much of myself to the job.

The injury never should have happened. I was opening the hatch to go through the hall ceiling into the attic. I lifted it straight up, then got each hand cupped over an edge. As I moved it a little higher up something gouged a piece of flesh out of my hand. The guy who is selling the house had done some extensive remodeling. He needed to run some cables or wiring in the attic, right beside the entry hatch. He cut a channel for the cable in the framing around the hatch. That would have been fine, but he did a very rough job. It looks like a child hacked out the channel with a screwdriver and hammer. There are rough patches and splinters all along it. In one spot there’s a chunk of wood sticking out right against the hatch cover and that’s what got me. It took a piece of flesh out and there’s a piece that’s “hanging by a thread” and will probably not heal back in place. The guy had to know it was a hazard, but I can imagine his thoughts on that: “The wife and kids will never go up in the attic and I know it’s there and will make sure to avoid the rough spot whenever I need to go up there.” He didn’t think about repair people or termite inspectors or anyone else who might ever have reason to do something in the attic. Mahalo plenty, mister. I left a big old blood stain on your textured ceiling. Nothing I could do to get it out, so I hope it doesn’t screw up the closing for your home sale. And hey - next time? Try think!

I have a picture of my hand without the bandage. Make sure you thank me for not sharing.

[tags]accidents, bandages, on-the-job injuries, work[/tags]

I love my tile floors!

I won’t have carpet in my home. Maybe if I lived in a place that gets cold I would consider it, at least for the bedrooms, but I really don’t care for carpeted floors. They’re hard to keep clean, especially when you share your home with a dog. I’m not talking about piddling - though that does happen from time to time. The thing I really hate is the way that hair clings to carpets. The world’s best vacuum cannot get all of the hair up, never mind the regular dirt that filters into it. Being a termite inspector, I’ve pulled up the edges of carpets many times. Have you ever seen the crud that collects down there? If you had, you’d never have carpets in your home either, especially if you have allergies or someone in your home has asthma. The tile floors in my home were a major attraction for me when I was home-shopping. They’re so easy to clean, and when I’ve cleaned them I know that they are really clean - everything comes up easily and there’s no place for crud to hide. An added bonus is that my home is as much as twenty degrees cooler than my neighbors’ homes on some of our hot tropical days. Twenty degrees - that puts me in a nice comfort zone when my neighbors are sweltering. My only disappointment is that the previous owner had no sense of style. My tile floors are beige. Can you imagine choosing beige when there are so many design possibilities with tile? Remember I told you a few weeks ago that I’m getting ready to start painting inside? The paint is already on hand and the color is terra cotta. I’d love to swap out the floor tiles for terra cotta, too. I’ve been reading about Mexican saltillo tile and that’s what I’d like to have. Authentic Saltillo Tile only comes from Saltillo, Coahuila Mexico and it is made by hand. I love the color variations and slight imperfections in natural, hand-made terra cotta tile. I inspected a home near Diamon Head recently that has it, complete with dog paw prints on a couple of the tiles. How perfect would that be for me? Tile floors can last a lifetime, too. They don’t wear down like wooden floors or carpets and they don’t get scuff marks. Well, we don’t wear shoes inside in Hawaii, so I never get them, but if you do get a few they’ll come right off. I don’t know when I’ll get to re-do my floors. I’ve already got the paint for all of the walls and the wood for new kitchen cabinets and the pre-made cabinet and vanity for my master bath. Those jobs have to be finished first, but one of these days I’m hoping to install Mexican Saltillo tile to finish things off and bring it all together. I’ll enjoy having it for as long as I own my home and it will be a huge selling point if I ever decide to sell. If you’re thinking about some changes around your own place, check out Saltillo Tile. I’ll bet you’ll find something you like!

[tags]flooring, Saltillo Tile, tile, tile floors[/tags]

The Three Stooges: Treasure Hunt Hijinks - new hidden object game

Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk! That was fun! The Three Stooges: Treasure Hunt Hijinks is just what I’ve been hoping to find - good, clean fun that the whole family can enjoy. The level of challenge is low to medium, so bring the kids in and have some game time with them. G. Reedy, the Stooges’ greedy landlord, has stolen and destroyed their treasure map. Help them find the pieces before he tosses them out for being in arrears on their rent.

Each map piece you find will lead you to new locations to search in the next round of play. At first glance each scene looks like an easy solve, with clearly defined object scattered about in plain view. You’ll find a few stumpers along the way though, and the sniffer will come in handy to help you find them. Earn extra sniffs (hints) by playing minigames any time you want. The mini games are typical Stooges silliness, like using a baseball bat to knock flying objects our of the way before they can bean our boys on their noggins.

The game is well-done, with colorful graphics and clear instructions. The designers did a good job of capturing the personalities and spirit of the classic Three Stooges characters. Lots of nyuk-nyuks, head thumps and eye-pokes will distract you as you play and the music is exactly what you remember. If you’ve read my previous reviews, you know my pet peeve: games that don’t honor the spirit of fair play. This one does, though there are a few places where that goes astray. When looking for a broom on the dock, don’t go for the obvious one leaning against the boat. There’s another hidden in the scene and you’ll need to search for it. In the scene above, the “lamp” is not the desk lamp on the drawing board, it’s the lantern on the little table beside the drawing board. Minor annoyances, since such errors are the exception instead of the norm in this game.

I recommend The Three Stooges: Treasure Hunt Hijinks if you’re looking for some leisurely hidden object game fun with a little nostalgia thrown in. It’s not the toughest game you’ll play this year, but I think you’ll enjoy it even if you’re not a Stooges fan - I’m not and found it to be fun and entertaining. It’s a Big Fish Games exclusive, so they’re your sole source for this one. Download the demo for a free hour of play. If you decide you like it enough to purchase the full version, it’s priced at $19.99, but you can discount that to as low as $6.99 by joining their free Game Club. You’ll be committing to buying a certain number of games when join (the number you commit to and the price you’ll pay depned on the level you choose) but if you’re a game fan it’s a real bargain.

Check out all of my hidden object game reviews in the games category for skeet’s stuff. Each review contains my observations on the game and a link you can use to download a demo so you can try it for yourself. Enjoy!

[tags]Big Fish Games, games, hidden object games, The Three Stooges: Treasure Hunt Hijinks[/tags]

June 17, 2008

Preparing for dark days

Remember last winter when I didn’t have power for almost four whole days? I had candles and oil lanterns all over the house and couldn’t get enough light to read after the sun went down. I was afraid the dogs would knock over a candle or lamp and start a fire, so I placed them up high, but that meant lousy light quality for reading and finding things. I had two flashlights, too, and used up a slew of batteries before power was finally restored. Trying to live normally during a power outage is a dangerous and costly process. I’ve replaced all the stuff I used up from my emergency evacuation box, but I’ve been meaning to upgrade it and haven’t done that yet. We’re in hurricane season again, so I should do it soon. A shake LED flashlight would be a good addition. They don’t use batteries - you just shake them for one minute to build up enough power for half an hour of light. It’s a cheaper and greener way to go, and I won’t have to worry about setting the house on fire when I need to carry a light around from room to room. It’s affordable, too, costing less than what I spent on batteries during the great blackout, so it will pay for itself in savings pretty quickly. If this is sounding familiar it’s probably because you read about it in “O at Home” (the Oprah magazine.) I can’t think of any reason not to add a shake LED flashlight - or two or three - to my evac kit.

Now a message from your mother (hey, I’m someone’s mother so I have to do these things!) Have you got a fully-stocked evac kit ready for emergencies? If you don’t, would you take care of that soon so I can quit worrying? There are several emergency preparedness posts in my archives, but your local phone book and civil defense organizations are the best places to find out everything you need to know so you’ll be ready when disaster strikes. Don’t say it won’t happen to you; it’s happened to me a few times and my evac kit has gotten me through some rough times. You should know the evacuation routes and shelters in your area. You need to know what you can take to a shelter with you, and how much. You need to be ready to hunker down with no outside contact for three or four days if you have to shelter in place. And you really should do it with as much eco-friendliness as possible. The link above will take you to innovative green solutions that will give you something to feel good about when bad times come. Eco-friendly radios, water filters and lighting belong in your evac kit, so check it out!

[tags]eco-friendly products, ecogeekliving, emergency kits, evacuation kits, flashlights, green solutions, shake LED flashlights[/tags]

Tuesday Teaser photo verification

I’ve been discovering the joys of win32/glenwiry.p virus since last night. As you can see from the commentary (if you go to the link,) there’s a lot of confusion about what it can and can’t do. In my case what it can do is keep Windows from recognizing installed software, open and close various programs spontaneously and cause all kinds of other havoc. I apparently got it from an infected website, thought who knows which one. There’s no indication that it spreads by email, but if you’re in my hawaii.rr.com mailbox, run your antivirus just to be sure.

Now that I’m back online - we have a Tuesday Teaser winner. Once again Jennifer was the first to solve the puzzle. Um, Jennifer - I was almost caught up with linky love for you. I only owed you two more posts, but didn’t want to do them too close together. Hmmmmm -maybe I should just start doing weekly updates on your blogs since you win so often. Or maybe you could create a whole stable of new blogs so I’ll plenty to choose from!

Congratulations to Jennifer and mahalo to all who played. See you next Tuesday!

[tags]contest, photo puzzle, Tuesday Teaser[/tags]